Monday, December 20, 2010

My background and Why Triathlons!!!!

December 20, 2010

I have been doing triathlons for 2 years now with my first year (2009) really just trying to find out if triathlon is something I want do and do seriously!

I have been a competitive athlete all my life! I played tennis when I was young, and then it was basketball that overtook my life for the next 13+ years. Basketball became my passion; basketball became my life, and my ticket to the United States! If you asked me what I wanted to do when I was growing up, I would have told you I wanted to play professional basketball! I went to a sports high school in Prague (stayed in the doorms ever since I was 14 years old, only seeing my family on weekends). We practiced 5 days a week, every morning from 7:30 – 9:30 and then again for 1:30 to 2 hours in the evening after school with the clubs we played for. Weekends were for games! When I was a senior in high school, I received a full basketball scholarship to play basketball in the U.S. One step closer to my dreams of becoming a professional ball player! I jumped on the offer, packed my bags, and found myself near Buffalo, NY in a school with plenty of people who talked way too fast for me to understand them! Ha! That was little over 12 years ago! While playing bball, I had a chance to master the English language, meet new people, learn about new cultures, and explore a totally different part of the world! How much more can one want! I had a blast, and I would never want to take any of it back (Even though it would be nice to have my family just a bit closer than they have been)

When I graduated from college (University at Buffalo), I was accepted into grad school, got my MBA, and actually took a good year off from any physical activity. Now this is what you call a burn out! I was so burned out, I didn’t want to do anything, and I had no desire to play basketball ever again! How could it be? Once a thing I couldn’t live without, and now I didn’t want to have anything to do with it. I was just tired, my body was tired, my mind was tired, and I simply needed a break. I was so burned out, I actually swore I would NEVER, let me repeat it, NEVER run again! (I am laughing at that statement now) J.Funny how things change! It lasted about a year before my competitive spirit came back, and I signed up to play co-ed intramural bball. I had a blast! It was so much fun to beat up on guys who automatically assume just cuz you are a girl, you can’t play! J Then one day out of nowhere, one of my friends said to me “I bet you couldn’t run a marathon”!!! Really? Really? Did you really just say I COULDN’T do something? Those words were all it took. We started to train together few weeks later for the only marathon that starts in one country and ends in another – The Niagara Falls marathon! Marathon training was fun, and I loved it to only learn later that I won’t be able to run it because race day was few weeks after my U.S. visa had expired and I could potentially have a hard time getting back into the U.S. … bummer! No marathon for me! L At least I knew I could do it J

Then I graduated with my MBA, and it was time to open up another chapter of my life – time to get to work! I have had to learn how to balance a full time job while still trying to get in my daily exercise in. It wasn’t easy, but I joined a local gym and started to run/spin/strength train pretty regularly. 2 years later, I got a new job in Boston at Reebok International. The facilities there were amazing, and fitness, working out was encouraged. I now got to work out at lunch, which was amazing and super convenient. No more excuses of why I couldn’t make it to the gym. The gym was right there! Not a year went by when one of my friends who was into triathlons, asked me to join her during one of her teams offseason practices. I always ran, I did a lot of spinning, so why not! This could be fun! This could be a place where I could unleash my competitiveness again! And that’s how it all began!!! To Be Continued ….

My 2009 Race Reports

About Me

I am a bball player turn triathlete from the Czech Republic living in Boston, MA. I love speed, and I love to go fast! I am on a mission to be the best I can be! For more info czech out my blog!
"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't, and believe that everything happens for a reason... Know a good thing when you see it, and don't let it slip away. If you get a chance, take it... If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it would be easy, they just said it would be worth it."